m^^^ 

^^^';---^ 


fA 


DAVIS 


mf 


LIBRARY 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/diegueoceremonOOdavirich 


CONTRIBUTIONS  FROM  THE 

MUSEUM   OF  THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN 

HEYE  FOUNDATION 

Volume  V,  No.  2 


THE  DIEGUENO   CEREMONY  OF 
THE  DEATH  IMAGES 


BY 


l.-M\V'.\Pl^     U 


MUSEUM  OF  THE  AMERICAN  INniAV 
HEYE  FOUNDATION 

1919 


CONTRIBUTIONS    FROM   THE 

MUSEUM   OF  THE   AMERICAN   INDIAN 

HEYE   FOUNDATION 

Volume  V,  No.  2 


THE  DIEGUENO   CEREMONY  OF 
THE  DEATH  IMAGES 


BY 


EDWARD  H.  DAVIS 
(( 


NEW  YORK 

MUSEUM  OF  THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN 

HEYE  FOUNDATION 

1919 


PRESS  OF 

THE  NEW  ERA  PRINTING  COMPANY 

LANCASTER,  PA. 


1  f{(     I:/'  1     I    I  I;K/IK  Y 


i 


Jy  ^   1^ 


THE  DIEGUENO  CEREMONY  OF  THE  DEATH 

IMAGES^ 

BY 

EDWARD   H.    DAVIS 

Introduction 

CALIFORNIA,  next  to  the  largest  state  in  the  Union,  with  the 
greatest  varieties  of  cHmate,  scenery,  and  products,  sup- 
ported the  largest  permanent  aboriginal  population  of  any 
equal  area  in  the  United  States.  Not  the  least  interesting  feature 
of  this  Indian  occupancy  is  the  fact  that  of  fifty-eight  distinct 
stock  languages  spoken  by  the  Indians  north  of  Mexico,  twenty- 
one,  or  more  than  a  third,  according  to  Major  Powell,  were 
spoken  in  California,  and  most  of  these  were  confined  to  the  north- 
ern portion  of  the  state.  In  the  extreme  southern  part  there  were 
two  distinct  stocks,  Shoshonean  and  Yuman,  with  numerous  dialects 
of  each.  In  San  Diego  county  the  representatives  of  these  two 
stock  languages  are  known  by  the  Spanish   terms  Luiseno  and 

1  This  article  is  published  as  a  record  of  personal  observation  of  an  interesting 
ceremony  performed  by  the  Diegueflo  Indians  of  southern  California.  The  rite  has 
long  been  known  and  has  been  described  from  information  derived  from  a  Dieguefio 
by  Miss  Constance  Goddard  Dubois  in  the  American  Anthropologist  (n.  s.,  vii,  pp. 
625-628,  1905),  but  the  two  accounts  vary  somewhat  as  to  details  and  what  one  lacks 
the  other  in  a  measure  supplies.  An  account  of  the  same  ceremony  as  performed  by 
the  Luisefios,  and  derived  likewise  from  a  native  informant,  is  presented  also  by  Miss 
Dubois  in  the  University  of  California  Publications  in  American  Archaeology  and  Eth- 
nology (viii,  no.  3,  pp.  100-104,  1908).  While  this  author  admits  that  with  what  tribe 
originated  the  manufacture  of  images  made  to  represent  the  dead  person  must  be  a 
matter  of  speculation,  she  attributes  the  origin  of  the  Chung-itch-nish  religion  to  the 
Luisenos,  but  which,  "impressing  itself  upon  the  Dieguenos,  mingled  its  ideas  with 
their  myths,  merging  the  characters  of  Chung-itch-nish  and  Oui-ot,  entirely  distinct 
in  Luiseiio  conception,  with  the  Dieguefio  Tu-chai-pa."  So  far  as  known,  Mr  Davis's 
description  of  the  Image  Ceremony  of  the  Diegueflos  is  the  first  account  based  on  per- 
sonal observation,  while  the  images  herein  illustrated,  now  in  the  Museum  of  the  Ameri- 
can Indian,  Heye  Foundation,  are  the  only  ones  that  have  ever  been  procured  and 
photographed. — Editor. 

7 


3 


\  ?i  /;  ?i  (>  I  . 


8         MUSEUM   OF    THE  AMERICAN   INDIAN,   HEYE   FOUNDATION     ' 

Diegueno,  that  is,  the  languages  or  Indians  affiliated  in  former  times 
with  San  Luis  Rey  and  San  Diego  missions  respectively.  Included 
in  the  former*  are  the  Indian  villages  and  reservations  of  La  Joya, 
Rincon,  Pauma,  Pala,  Pechango,  Banning,  Cahuilla,  San  Ysidro, 
San  Ygnacio,  Soboba,  and  a  number  of  other  villages  in  the  desert. 
Among  the  Dieguenos  are  the  Mesa  Grande,  Santa  Ysabel,  San 
Pascual,  Inaja,  Capitan  Grande,  Los  Conejos,  Sequan,  Campo, 
Manzanita,  Weeapip6,  and  Laguna  rancherias  or  villages. 

Among  these  Indians  one  of  the  most  interesting  as  well  as  the 
least  known  ceremonies  is  called  variously  Image  Ceremony,  Burn- 
ing the  Images,  Burning  the  Clothes;  in  Spanish,  Los  Monos, 
Los  Monitos;  in  Cupano  (Hot  Springs),  N6ngawut;  in  Luisefio, 
Tochinish,  and  in  Diegueno,  Wiikaruk. 

This  ceremony  was  performed  generally  by  the  Indians  through- 
out San  Diego  and  Riverside  counties,  and  possibly  much  farther 
north,  at  the  time  the  missions  were  established.  When  the  natives 
embraced  the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  the  custom  was  discontinued 
by  many  of  the  tribes,  but  a  few  natives  still  cling  tenaciously  to 
the  ancient  rite.  In  general  it  may  be  said  that  the  tribes  living 
remote  from  the  missions  and  therefore  least  affected  by  their 
influence  are  the  ones  that  still  practice  the  Image  Ceremony. 

The  Indians  who  still  make  and  burn  images  are  those  living  at 
Palm  Springs,  Banning,  Pala,  Campo,  Weeapipe,  and  Yuma. 
Among  these  tribes  the  ceremony  differs  only  in  details.  The 
material  forming  the  foundation  or  framework  of  the  image  is  the 
same  in  all  cases;  head,  hair,  and  features  are  made  to  resemble  those 
of  the  dead  person;  it  is  clothed  throughout  in  new  garments,  and 
finally  cremated.  All  this  is  attended  with  much  ceremony,  chant- 
ing, dancing,  and  mourning,  the  mourning  often  covering  a  period 
of  several  days  and  nights. 

Image  ceremonies,  being  expensive,  costing  from  five  hundred 
to  a  thousand  dollars,  are  not  performed  every  year.  Usually 
when  the  number  of  deaths  in  a  family  or  clan,  such  for  instance  as 
the  Cueros  (Hides)  or  Las  Chusas  (The  Owls),  extending  over  a 
period  of  five  or  seven  years,  number  from  ten  to  fifteen,  including 
adults  and  children  of  both  sexes,  they  give  an  Image  Ceremony 


DAVIS— DIEGUENO   CEREMONY   OF    THE   DEATH   IMAGES  9 

at  which  Indians  from  near  and  afar  attend,  attired  in  their  holiday 
clothes.  The  family  and  other  relatives  of  the  dead  extend  full 
and  generous  hospitality  to  all  the  invited  tribes,  but  abstain  from 
partaking  of  any  of  the  food  themselves.  The  family  or  clan  also 
bears  all  the  expense  of  gathering  the  materials,  making  and  clothing 
the  images,  and  conducting  the  ceremony.  They  pay  the  leader 
of  the  chanting  and  dancing,  the  men  who  dance  with  the  images, 
and  the  fire- tender,  and  they  furnish  the  coins  which,  at  one  period 
of  the  ceremony,  are  strewn  by  handfuls  among  the  assemblage  of 
Indians. 

Following  is  a  description  of  the  Wukaruk,  or  Image  Ceremony, 
witnessed  by  the  writer  at  Weeapipe.  This  rancheria  is  situated 
in  a  narrow,  sandy  valley  on  the  southern  slope  of  Laguna  mountain, 
twenty-five  miles  northeast  of  Campo,  which  is  the  trading  place 
of  these  Indians.  The  valley  is  dominated  by  a  great  mass  of 
castle-like  rocks,  about  three  hundred  feet  in  height,  at  the  head  of 
the  valley,  from  which  the  rancheria  derives  its  name,  Weeapipe 
meaning  "Leaning  Rock." 

Preparations  for  the  Ceremony 
Before  describing  the  ceremony   itself,  we  will   consider  the 
preparations  necessary  to  a  successful  fiesta,  with  particular  refer- 
ence to  the   ceremony  which  was  performed   at  Weeapip6  from 
August  24  to  30,  1908. 

Preparations  were  commenced  in  1906,  two  years  before.  The 
materials  entering  into  the  construction  of  the  images,  as  well  as 
foods,  had  to  be  gathered  when  mature,  and  much  of  this  was  done 
the  year  preceding  the  ceremony.  Pinon  nuts,  acorns,  and  corn 
were  harvested  the  preceding  autumn,  and  fiber  from  the  maguey, 
or  mescal,  and  red  milkweed  were  also  gathered.  Dried  yucca 
stalks  and  materials  used  in  building  the  kuruknawah,  or  house  of 
the  images,  were  gathered  months  before  the  time  they  were  to  be 
used. 

Only  old  men  are  entrusted  with  the  preparations  for  the  Image 
Ceremony,  and  all  the  materials  are  gathered  and  prepared  in 
accordance  with  a  prescribed  ritual  handed  down  by  tradition  from 


lo    \n'si:['M  ()/•■  rm-:  americaiv  Indian,  heye  foundation 

tlu'iri  iiliuri-  lu'K),  (  li.mi)/  Ikhii  liiiu'  immemorial.  These  old  men 
go  out,  or  used  to  go  oiil,  into  (he  hills  eniptyhaiuled — without  iixe, 
kliife,  matches,  or  any  of  the  things  ordinarily  considered  indis- 
pensable. They  carried  wild  tobacco  and  a  gourd  rattle  for  cere- 
monial purposes  in  gathering  their  materials,  and  probably  stone 
knives.  Only  the  implements  used  in  ancient  times,  as  prescribed 
by  tradition,  were  permissible.  There  is  no  evidence  that  stone 
axes  were  used  in  this  section  of  the  country. 

From  the  dried  stalks  of  the  guatamote  bush,  which  grows  in 
creek  bottoms,  fire  was  made  by  friction,  or,  if  on  the  desert,  they 
used  the  stems  of  the  fan-leaf  palm.'-  With  this  fire  they  lighted 
their  tobacco  and  felled  the  posts  and  poles  by  burning  them  through 
at  the  base.  This  was  accomplished  by  placing  dry  logs  against 
the  trees  and  letting  the  fire  burn  through  the  stump.  Fire  was 
employed  also  for  burning  the  logs  the  desired  length. 

As  each  thing  was  gathered,  it  was  chanted  over  and  a  cere- 
monial smoki"  indulged  in.  Months  of  time  were  consumed  in 
assembling  all  thr  materials,  and  as  these  were  gathered  they  were 
secreted  among  the  rocks  and  in  caves  in  the  hills  to  await  the  open- 
ing of  the  ceremony.  On  the  desert  the  fiber  was  extracted  from 
the  thick,  spiked  leaves  of  the  maguey,  or  mescal,  and  the  brown, 
sticky  juice  that  exuded  from  the  large  bulb  at  the  base  of  the 
plant,  when  it  ^^.ls  to.isted  lor  fooil,  formed  the  body  of  the  paints 
for  decorating  tlu  laces  of  the  images  and  also  the  faces  of  the 
mourning  Indians,  especially  the  women.  This  molasses-like  sap 
was  preserved  in  small  ollas  for  future  use. 

In  the  autumn  sacks  of  pinon  nuts  were  laboriously  gathered  by 
the  women  in  the  desert  mountains  and  in  the  higher  ranges,  and 
acorns  were  harvested,  cured,  and  stored  away  in  great  ollas,  sacks, 
or  granary  baskets.  Corn  and  pink  beans  (frijoles)  were  hulled, 
threshed,  and  likewise  stoixnl  away.  The  hair,  cut  off  as  a  sign  of 
mourning,  was  sa\ed,  and  the  gum  which  forms  as  an  excrescence 
on  the  chamisid  bush  was  gathered  and  preserved. 

»Se«  Dubois,  The  Story  of  Chaup:  A  Myth  of  the  DIcgueflos,  Journal  of 
American  Folk4ort,  vol.  xvii,  pp.  217-24^,  Oct.-Dec..  1904. 

•Acctuding  to  vSpiuknmn  (Univ,  Cal.  Pub,  Amer.  Archaeol,  and  Ethnol,,  vol  8. 
no,  4.  p.  ao9,  Berkeley,  lyovS)  the  l.ui.softos  used  tho  wood  of  Bacckaris  Douglasii  for 
fire*making. — Editor. 


DAVIS— DIECUEStO  CEREMONY   OP   THE   DEATH   IMAGES  II 

The  principal  material,  Juncus  textiUs,  entering  into  the  making 
of  the  images  is  found  in  the  canons  and  gorges  on  the  desert  slope 
of  the  mountains  and  is  know  among  the  Indians  as  meskwdh;  it  is  a 
rush  that  grows  four  feet  tall  in  large  tussocks.  This  plant  is  in 
general  use  and  forms  the  matting  frameivork  or  body  of  the  images 
among  all  the  southern  California  tribes.  In  the  spring  of  1918 
the  Yuma  Indians  sent  one  of  their  number  across  the  desert,  a 
distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  at  no  small  expense,  to 
secure  meskwdh  from  the  Campo  Indians,  for  use  in  making  the 
images  for  their  ceremony  which  occurred  a  few  months  later. 
This  rush  is  used  also  for  matting  for  wrapping  tribal  ceremonial 
possessions,  and  the  f>art  near  the  uyot  is  employed  in  basketry, 
forming  the  brown  designs;  it  is  further  used  to  make  the  porous 
leaching  and  hat  baskets. 

The  Ceremony 

Early  in  August,  1908,  information  reached  me  through  an 
Indian  girl  that  on  the  tuenty-fourth  of  the  month  would  commence 
a  remarkable  Image  Ceremony  at  Weeapip)^.  So  jealously  was 
the  secret  guarded  that,  with  the  exception  of  a  man  who  had  mar- 
ried into  the  tribe,  my  son  Stanley  and  I  were  the  only  white  persons 
to  witness  the  performance  from  beginning  to  end. 

On  the  evening  of  August  23,  after  sptending  two  days  on  the 
trail  with  saddle-horses  and  pack-mule,  and  crossing  the  Cuyamaca 
and  Laguna  mountains,  we  descended  the  steep,  rocky  trail  that 
led  into  the  narrow,  sandy  valley  of  VV^eeapip6.  Many  Indians 
had  already  arrived,  as  we  observed  by  their  flickering  camp-fires 
throughout  the  rancheria.  A  band  of  picturesque,  long-haired, 
Yuma  Indians  from  Algodones,  who  had  come  to  assist  in  the  cere- 
mony, had  trailed  across  the  desert  on  burros  for  nearly  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles. 

After  the  evening  meal,  the  mourning  women  gathered  in  one 
of  the  ramadas,  or  brush  shelters,  and  wailed  and  sobbed  all  night. 
The  old  men  sat  in  a  circle  outside  with  bowed  heads  and  sobbed  for 
an  hour  or  so.  Old  Pyone  Hilshmeup,  head  of  the  Hilshmeup  clan 
which  provided  the  fiesta,  then  arose  and  placed  his  hands  succes- 


12      MUSEUM   OF    THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN,   HEYE   FOUNDATION 

sively  on  the  head  of  each  one  of  the  old  men  in  the  circle,  as  if  in 
benediction,  and  then  delivered  an  address.  He  was  probably 
ninety  years  of  age,  deeply  wrinkled,  almost  blind  and  toothless, 
but  still  quite  active.  All  night  the  Indians  sat  brooding  and 
mourning. 

The  next  morning,  a  space  of  forty  feet  square  was  cleared  for  a 
ramada.  A  low  bank  of  earth  was  raised  around  the  outside,  except 
at  the  east,  which  was  left  for  the  opening.  At  a  given  signal, 
twenty-five  men,  including  the  Yumas,  started  off  for  the  place 
at  the  edge  of  the  valley  where  the  poles,  posts,  brush,  and  grass 
were  cached  and  cut  to  size  ready  for  building  the  house  of  the 
images.  The  Indians  soon  returned,  single  file,  each  carrying  a 
post  or  a  pole,  or  a  bundle  of  grass  or  of  brush  on  his  shoulders. 
Reaching  the  site  of  the  structure,  as  the  men  placed  the  poles  and 
other  materials  on  the  ground,  the  women  ran  out  wailing  and 
mingled  with  the  men  (who  also  wailed  and  sobbed),  placing  their 
hands  on  the  men's  bowed  heads.  Two  old  women  poured  an 
offering  of  corn  from  their  baskets  over  each  post,  pole,  and  bundle 
of  brush;  indeed,  the  women  who  were  entrusted  with  .this  special 
duty  made  offerings  of  corn,  pifion  nuts,  wheat,  hulled  acorns, 
and  pink  beans  to  all  materials  entering  into  the  construction  of 
the  ramada  or  of  the  images  during  the  entire  ceremony,  lasting 
nearly  six  days,  in  this  manner  scattering  altogether  hundreds  of 
pounds  of  foodstuffs  over  the  ground.  Some  of  this  food  was 
trampled  into  the  dust,  but  women  belonging  to  the  visiting  tribes 
recovered  most  of  it  and  consumed  it  on  the  ground  or  took  it  to 
their  homes.  At  the  close  of  the  ceremony  all  foodstuffs  not  used 
in  the  offerings,  consisting  of  several  sacks,  was  divided  and  given 
away,  none  whatever  being  retained  by  the  Hilshmeup  clan,  which 
was  reduced  to  poverty  by  the  ceremony. 

After  wailing  for  a  while,  the  men  placed  their  burdens  on  the 
ground  and  commenced  to  construct  the  brush  house,  or  ramada. 
Four  holes  were  dug  for  the  posts  that  were  to  form  the  main  sup- 
ports of  the  structure,  and  as  each  hole  was  dug,  an  old  woman 
poured  in  an  offering  of  pifion  nuts.  She  was  followed  by  a  Yuma 
woman,  who  carefully  scooped  the  nuts  into  a  red  bandanna  hand- 
kerchief and  carried  them  off. 


DAVIS— DIEGUENO   CEREMONY   OF    THE   DEATH   IMAGES         13 

As  soon  as  the  corner  posts  were  set,  cross-poles  and  rafters  were 
adjusted  and  fastened  with  strips  of  willow  bark  (fig.  i) ;  then  bundles 


Fig. 


-Roof  plan  of  the  image  house. 

of  long  weed-Stalks  were  scattered  over  the  top,  and  lastly  bales  of 
dry  grass  were  spread,  which  made  a  perfect  covering.  Long  brush 
was  leaned  against  the  sides  and  end,  completing  the  rude  structure, 


k"  u,.  J. — Exterior  oi  cue  image  liouse. 

which  was  closed  on  all  sides  except  the  entrance  (fig.  2),  which 
faced  the  rising  sun  and  the  desert,  whence  these  Indians  came.^ 

*  Regarding  the  ramada.  Miss  Dubois  says:  "At  the  beginning  of  the  fiesta  a 
ramada,  or  brush  building,  was  constructed,  circular  except  at  one  end,  where  it  was 
square.  The  building  of  this,  like  every  act  connected  with  the  fiesta  was  done  in  a 
prescribed  manner  according  to  an  elaborate  ritual.  Each  part  of  the  ramada  had  a 
name,  and  a  song  connected  with  its  construction." — Editor. 


14      MUSEUM   OF    THE   AMERICAN  INDIAN,   HEYE  FOUNDATION 

The  interior  was  draped  with  red  calico,  and  two  pieces  of  striped 
calico,  which  served  as  flags,  were  raised  on  poles,  one  at  each  side 
of  the  entrance. 

When  the  image  house  was  completed,  trunks,  boxes,  and  bundles 
were  carried  in,  and  at  night  the  structure  was  filled  with  mourners 
of  both  sexes.  One  old  man  sat  at  the  entrance  and  chanted,  keep- 
ing time  with  his  ceremonial  rattle  of  deer-hoofs,  while  the  old 
women  began  sorting  out  clothing,  hats,  scarfs,  etc.,  with- which 
they  bedecked  six  girls  and  eight  boys  amid  much  wailing.  The 
number  and  sex  corresponded  with  those  of  the  dead  and  of  the 
images  to  be  made. 

When  the  boys  and  girls  had  completed  their  dressing,  led  by 
the  old  man  with  the  rattle  they  filed  outside  and  danced  all  night. 
As  nearly  as  could  be  ascertained,  this  clothing  was  later  to  adorn 
the  images.  For  three  nights  these  young  people  danced  in  the 
new  garments  around  a  great  log  fire  immediately  in  front  of  the 
image  house. 

The  chant  is  believed  to  describe  the  wanderings  of  the  tribe 
before  reaching  its  present  place  of  abode,  and  the  different  animals 
and  objects  of  nature  associated  with  their  traditions  and  folklore. 
With  each  canto  the  dance  proceeded  round  the  fire  three  times 
and  dealt  with  one  object  or  animal.  Now  it  was  the  bear,  now  the 
frog,  then  the  desert  lizard,  the  coyote,  the  gopher,  the  pack-rat, 
and  so  on.^  At  the  termination  of  each  canto  there  was  a  cere- 
monial rest.  At  first  the  dance  was  merely  a  step  accented  by  a 
stamp  in  perfect  rhythm  with  the  song  and  the  rattle ;  this  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  step  consisting  of  a  double  stamp,  which  was  continued 
until  daylight. 

^  "Where  to-day  the  singers  profess  their  ignorance  of  the  meaning  of  the  songs  of 
the  different  dances,"  says  Miss  Dubois, "  it  is  by  no  means  because,  as  some  have  judged, 
they  are  in  an  archaic  language,  but  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  the  story  of  the  songs 
has  been  forgotten,  having  been  known  in  perfection  only  to  the  chief  or  leader  of  the 
fiestas.  .  .  .  Any  subject  connected  with  the  death  would  be  appropriate  for  these 
songs.  For  instance,  one  song  refers  to  two  brothers  who  were  traveling  together 
when  one  was  bitten  by  a  rattlesnake.  He  died  of  the  bite,  and  his  brother  was  afraid 
of  his  spirit,  which  was  following  and  terrifying  him.  Another  song  celebrates  Ish-pa, 
the  Eagle,  killed  to  make  the  fiesta,  and  describes  his  feelings  when  he  knows  that  death 
is  near.  Another  song  of  Wu-ka-riik  tells  of  the  death  of  Tu-chai-pa,  which  was  brought 
about  by  the  evil  machinations  of  the  frog," 


DAVIS— DI  ECU  EN  O   CEREMONY   OF    THE   DEATH   IMAGES        1 5 

Forming  the  circle  around  the  dancers  were  Indians  from  the 
different  rancherias  in  San  Diego  county,  and  some  from  Lower 
California,  numbering  between  three  hundred  and  four  hundred. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  ceremony  I  made  a  photograph  of  the 
Indians  restiilg  their  poles  and  materials  for  the  image  house  (pi. 
I,  a).  The  capitan  immediately  sent  a  messenger  to  inform  me  that 
pictures  of  the  ceremony,  or  of  anything  associated  with  it,  were 
absolutely  prohibited,  and  nothing  must  be  written  or  drawn  in 
regard  to  the  fiesta,  as  everything  pertaining  to  it  was  to  be  con- 
sumed by  fire.  It  seems  that  the  spirits  of  the  dead  are  believed  to 
hover  about  the  old  homes  awaiting  the  ceremony,  which  was  to 
release  them  from  their  earthly  ties  to  pass  to  their  future  world, 
hence  anything,  particularly  a  picture  or  a  photograph  depicting  a 
part  of  the  fiesta,  that  had  a  tendency  to  restrain  the  spirits,  was 
regarded  as  highly  sacrilegious.  Thereafter  I  was  under  constant 
surveillance,  hence  it  was  impossible  to  procure  a  photograph  with- 
out fear  of  expulsion.  Making  a  virtue  of  necessity,  I  desisted  as 
far  as  the  camera  was  concerned,  but  made  notes  and  drawings 
secretly. 

The  matron  at  Campo,  where  it  was  necessary  for  us  to  make 
a  trip  for  grain  and  hay,  informed  me  that  the  Indians  had  been 
saving  and  preparing  for  this  fiesta  for  two  years.  ^The  women  had 
made  baskets,  sold  them  and  hoarded  the  money,  almost  going 
without  food  and  clothing  that  the  dead  might  have  a  fitting  cere- 
mony and  departure.  One  old  woman,  she  noted,  made  and  sold 
several  baskets,  but  never  used  the  money  to  buy  food  or  clothing, 
until,  up  to  the  time  of  the  fiesta,  she  had  accumulated  twenty 
dollars,  a  vast  amount  to  her,  as  it  represented  the  savings  of  two 
years.  Her  withered  old  hands  were  cut  and  scarred  by  the  keen 
edges  of  the  fibers  in  making  so  many  baskets,  and  there  were  similar 
cases.  Money  was  collected  from  relatives  far  and  near;  sugar, 
coffee,  flour,  and  steers  were  bought,  and  a  wagon  was  sent  to  San 
Diego,  and  new  clothing,  hats,  ribbons,  and  bandanna  handker- 
chiefs were  procured  to  dress  the  images.  What  sacrifices  all  this 
meant  to  the  poorest  Indians  in  California  at  that  time  can  only  be 
conjectured.     The  time  of  giving  the  fiesta  was  kept  secret  for 


l6      MUSEUM   OF   THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN,   HEYE   FOUNDATION 

months  to  avoid  the  presence  of  white  people,  and  only  shortly 
before  the  time  appointed  were  invitations  sent  to  the  different 
tribes  and  to  scattered  relatives  to  be  present. 

On  our  return  to  the  fiesta  from  Campo  late  in  the  afternoon 
of  August  27th,  after  I  had  given  supplies  of  tobacco  to  the  men 
and  red  calico  to  the  women,  some  Indians  who  knew  that  I  had 
taken  a  leading  part  in  the  Eagle  ceremony  at  Mesa  Grande  the 
year  before,  told  the  assembled  Indians  all  about  it.  They  gazed 
at  me  with  a  great  deal  of  interest  and  curiosity,  and  made  many 
comments.  The  knowledge  had  the  effect  of  placing  me.  before 
these  primitive  people  in  a  more  favorable  light,  which  I  was  eager 
to  cultivate.  Previously  I  was  merely  tolerated;  now  I  was  wel- 
comed. 

After  dark,  a  little  weazened  old  man,  called  Jaquet,  took  the 
rattles  and  told  those  around  that  he  wanted  to  sing  and  dance  for 
me  for  a  short  time,  so  that  I  could  admire  his  chanting.  I  was 
duly  impressed  and  commended  him  highly  for  his  remarkable  skill. 

The  dance  this  night  was  similar  to  that  held  the  previous 
nights:  two  or  three  old  men  leading  in  a  circle  round  the  fire,  and 
the  boys  and  girls,  in  all  their  finery,  following  in  single  file  with  a 
kind  of  swinging  step  and  stamp.  The  dancing  always  commenced 
from  the  image  house  facing  east;  then  it  swung  to  the  north,  then 
east,  south,  and  west.  East  is  the  ceremonial  direction  of  these 
Indians,  and  three  the  ceremonial  number  among  all  the  Dieguefio 
tribes.  The  Holshrd,  or  War  Dance,  is  continued  for  three  nights; 
the  Tapokwirp  or  Whirling  Dance,  is  performed  thrice;  the  Hop- 
asuey,  or  breathings  at  termination  of  a  dance  and  also  for  gifts  of 
food  and  tobacco,  is  performed  three  times,  and  so  throughout  their 
ceremonies  the  magic  number  three  continually  occuis. 

On  the  next  day,  the  28th,  the  image  house  was  a  busy  place, 
where  men  and  women  were  preparing  the  details  of  the  images, 
in  which  I  was  permitted  to  assist.  The  eyes,  teeth,  hair,  cloth, 
mescal-fiber  strings,  hair  rope,  sticks  for  hips  and  shoulders,  and 
all  the  minor  details  of  the  construction  of  the  images,  were  pre- 
pared, counted,  and  set  aside  with  minutest  care,  so  that  nothing 
would  be  missing  when  the  figures  were  actually  to  be  made  the 
next  day. 


CONTR.   MUS.   AMER.   INDIAN,   HEYE  FOUND'N 


vol.   V,   NO.   2,   PL.   I 


A.      INDIANS    HOLDING  THE    POLES    FOR  THE   IMAGE   HOUSE.      BOTH     MEN   AND  WOMEN   ARE 

WAILING.     WEEAPIPE,   1908 


nHK2*I^B  /  I     9K)SE^Bk 

).     ^>"a»:.jfu  ^K 

P^^'f 

J 

^/        ,^^  •    - 

B.      THE   IMAGE   PARTLY  CONSUMED   BY   FIRE.      PALA,    1904 


DAVIS— DIEGUENO   CEREMONY   OF    THE   DEATH   IMAGES        17 

A  great  bundle  of  flaxen  mescal  fiber  from  the  desert  was  brought 
in,  and,  on  their  bare  thighs,  two  old  men  twisted  double-stranded, 
coarse  twine  all  day  long  from  the  threads,  in  pieces  six  or  eight 
feet  long.  This  meskwdh,  as  it  is  called,  was  woven  into  a  large  mat, 
like  a  grass  rug,  by  being  stitched  through  and  through  with  threads 
of  sinew  or  red-milkweed  fibers.  The  mat  may  be  four  feet  wide  by 
twelve  feet  long,  or  possibly  two  of  them  may  be  made,  each  eight 
feet  long,  according  to  the  number  of  images  to  be  formed  from  it. 

For  the  eyes  of  the  images  large  white  pearl  buttons  (in  lieu  of 
white  abalone  shell)  were  drilled  through  with  knives,  pointed  sticks 
inserted,  and  a  black,  pitch-like  substance  from  the  chamisal  was 
put  in  the  center  for  the  pupils.     (See  the  illustrations  following.) 

Packages  of  black  human  hair  were  brought  in,  woven  together 
with  strings  to  form  the  front  and  back  hair  for  both  sexes,  the  hair 
for  the  girl  images  being  the  longer. 

Clusters  of  hawk  a;nd  eagle  plumes,  fastened  to  short  pieces  of 
stiff  twine  with  sinew,  and  these  in  turn  attached  to  sharpened 
chamisal  sticks,  were  to  be  inserted  in  the  shoulders  of  the  male 
images;  owl  feathers,  prepared  in  the  same  way,  were  for  the  female 
images.  These  were  the  crude  pinions  that  were  to  support  them 
in  their  last  flight.^ 

Small  oliva-like  shells,  brought  from  the  Gulf  of  California 
by  Yuma  Indians,  threaded  and  mounted  on  mescal  twine,  were  to 
form  the  teeth  of  the  images. 

All  the  materials,  except  the  matting  foundation,  for  each 
separate  figure  were  gathered  together,  tied  up  in  a  neat  bundle, 
and  laid  away  for  the  morrow.  The  women  wailed  and  sobbed 
during  the  making  of  all  these  things,  and  the  two  old  women  poured 
offerings  of  corn,  wheat,  or  hulled  acorns  out  of  their  baskets  over 
the  materials.     Throughout  the  night  the  women  in  the  image  house 


^  "  In  the  first  place  an  eagle  must  be  killed  in  a  prescribed  manner  to  furnish  the 
feathers  for  the  decoration  of  the  images.  A  young  eagle  was  secured  in  the  spring 
and  kept  in  captivity  until  it  was  fully  grown,  when  it  was  killed,  as  Boscana  says, 
'without  shedding  a  drop  of  blood.'  This  was  done  by  pressure  upon  the  lungs  and 
heart.  The  red  tail-feathers  of  the  yellow-hammer  were  also  obtained,  a  great  number 
of  the  birds  being  slain  to  secure  them.  These  as  well  as  the  owl  feathers  were  sacred 
to  religious  use." — Miss  Dubois. 


I8      MUSEUM  OF   THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN,   HEYE  FOUNDATION 

grieved  and  wailed,  and  immediately  outside,  round  the  great 
blazing  fire,  the  chanting  and  dancing  continued. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  creation  of  the  images  was  com- 
menced. This  labor  required  four  men  one  hour  to  make  each 
figure.  A  length  of  matting  was  held  upright  by  two  Indians,  and, 
at  three  yells  given  by  an  hereditary  or  ancient  enemy  of  the  family 
of  the  dead,  another  enemy  Indian,  with  poised  bowie  knife,  swiftly 
and  at  one  stroke  slashed  the  matting,  detaching  a  strip  about  four- 
teen inches  wide.-  This  act  is  called  "Splitting  the  enemy  down  the 
middle."  Fourteen  of  such  strips  were  cut  from  the  mat,  each 
designed  to  form  the  framework  or  foundation  of  an  image.  One 
of  these  was  handed  to  each  member  of  the  immediate  family  of  the 
deceased,  who  thereupon  commenced  to  make  an  image,  dressing, 
painting,  and  ornamenting  it  so  as  to  resemble  as  nearly  as  possible 
the  person  whom  it  was  designed  to  represent.  During  the  time  of 
construction,  men  and  women  wailed  and  sobbed,  and  the  two  old 
women  poured  out  copious  offerings  of  corn,  wheat,  pinon  nuts, 
and  acorns.  Some  of  this  food  was  lost,  but  the  greater  part  was 
gathered  up  by  the  members  of  other  clans  and  taken  home.  At 
night  the  corn,  beans,  acorns,  etc.,  that  were  thrown  over  the  dancers 
were  trodden  into  the  earth  and  lost. 

Several  of  the  old  women,  in  token  of  grief,  had  scarified  their 
breasts  to  such  an  extent  as  to  make  a  network  of  bloody  scabs; 
their  faces  were  daubed  with  mescal  paint;  their  hair  was  unkempt, 
and  with  their  incessant  wailing  they  presented  altogether  a  wildj 
uncanny  appearance. 

After  a  strip  was  cut  from  the  mat,  the  lower  half  was  bisected 
and  cut  and  rolled  into  two  cylinders  and  tied  with  mescal  twine  to 
form  the  legs.  The  top  part  was  cut  in  on  each  side,  rolled  into  a 
short  cylinder  and  tied,  and  this  formed  the  head.  Just  below  the 
head,  tvv'o  pieces  of  flat  yucca  stalk  were  placed  crosswise  and  the 
ends  lashed  together  for  the  shoulders,  and  by  the  same  process  the 
hips  were  formed.  Two  sets  of  small,  white,  pointed  shells,  strung 
on  maguey  twine  and  fastened  around  the  head,  formed  the  teeth, 
and  a  tvvig  of  bent  willow,  inserted  above  the  teeth,  served  as  a  nose. 
Over  the  head  part  a  piece  of  white  sheeting  was  drawn  tightly  and 


DAVIS— DIEGUENO   CEREMONY   OF    THE   DEATH   IMAGES         I9 

fastened  behind.  A  slit  was  cut  for  the  mouth,  through  which  the 
gleaming  white  teeth  projected  in  ghastly  fashion,  an  effect  that 
was  further  heightened  when  the  eyes  were  inserted.  When  holes 
were  punched  into  the  heads  to  insert  the  eye  sticks,  the  women 
went  into  a  wild  paroxysm  of  anguish,  wailing  and  crying  and 
throwing  themselves  on  each  other  in  heartrending  grief  that  far 
surpassed  their  previous  lamentations.  The  men  choked  and 
sobbed,  and  tears  streamed  down  their  faces.  Following  this, 
paint  was  applied  to  the  faces,  red  for  the  female,  black  for  the  male 
images;  a  short  fringe  of  hair  tied  around  the  head  served  for  the 
front  hair,  or  bangs,  and  longer  hair  for  the  back  hair,  and  the  heads 
were  completed.  As  each  image  was  made,  the  women  dressed  it. 
If  it  was  a  girl,  a  thin  lawn  dress,  nicely  ruffled  and  trimmed,  was 
put  on,  also  a  crimson  silk  neckerchief,  a  fine  beadwork  belt,  and 
plenty  of  bright  ribbons.  If  it  was  a  man,  he  was  clothed  in  new 
trousers,  Coat,  vest,  shirt,  collar,  tie,  cuffs,  hat,  and  a  neck-scarf  of 
red  or  blue  silk.  Many  had  ribbons  around  the  sleeves,  rosettes  of 
bright  ribbons  pinned  to  their  vests,  and  shining  watch  chains  and 
watches.  One  female  figure  wore  a  black  silk  dress  trimmed  with 
lace,  and  around  the  edge  of  the  yoke  were  suspended  bangles  of 
dimes  which  tinkled  each  time  the  image  was  raised  or  lowered  in 
the  subsequent  dance. ^ 

As  the  images  were  being  made  and  clothed,  an  old  woman  of 
the  Hilshmeup  clan  poured  on  each  one  a  basket  of  acorns,  or  a 

1  Miss  Dubois  describes  the  making  of  the  images  as  follows:  "When  the  matting 
was  ready  it  was  slit  with  a  knife  in  two  parts,  which,  being  rolled  up  separately,  made 
the  legs.  The  upper  part  for  the  chest,  was  strengthened  by  two  sticks  laid  diagonally 
crossed  upon  it.  The  head  was  made  of  the  matting  with  a  crooked  oak  stick  carefully 
selected  as  to  shape,  placed  in  the  proper  position  for  the  nose.  The  face  was  covered 
with  cloth,  in  early  days  with  buckskin,  and  the  mouth  was  painted  red  outside  and 
black  within,  where  teeth  carefully  shaped  from  pearls,  obtained  from  the  coast,  or 
something  resembling  them,  were  inserted.  The  eyes  were  of  abalone  shell,  with  the 
pupil  a  dot  of  black  wax.  Human  hair  was  put  upon  the  head.  The  face  was  painted 
and  decorated  with  glistening  powdered  mica  stuck  on  with  thick  black  mescal  juice. 
The  characteristic  features  of  the  dead  man  whom  the  image  represented  were  repro- 
duced as  closely  as  possible.  The  finest  decorations  were  then  placed  upon  the  figure, 
bunches  of  eagle  and  of  yellow-hammer  feathers  were  stuck  upon  the  shoulders,  and 
strings  of  beads  and  other  ornaments  were  disposed  upon  it.  Around  the  neck  was 
hung  a  net  like  a  small  carrying  net,  holding  two  tiny  decorated  ollas  to  contain  food 
and  drink  for  the  spirit  on  its  journey  through  the  unseen  world." 


20     MUSEUM  OF   THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN,   HEYE  FOUNDATION     , 

basket  of  corn,  or  of  corn,  wheat,  and  pifion  nuts  mixed.  In  the 
corn  were  many  kernels  of  the  ancient  blue  kind  sometimes  found 
in  cliff  and  cave  dwellings  and  in  old  pueblo  sites. 

When  the  costume  was  finally  adjusted,  each  image  was  taken 
in  charge  by  a  near  relative,  closely  embraced  and  fondled,  mourned 
and  wailed  over,  and  removed  to  the  rear  of  the  brush  house, 
where  many  of  the  smaller  articles  and  decorations  were  fastened 
on.  An  indication  of  how  thoroughly  the  work  was  done  may  be 
judged  from  the  fact  that,  during  nine  hours  of  rough  handling  in 
the  subsequent  dancing,  not  a  hat,  garment,  or  ribbon  became  loose. 

At  noon,  when  all  the  fourteen  images  were  completed,  men  and 
women  formed  a  procession  with  an  old  man  at  the  head  who  chanted 
to  the  clacking  accompaniment  of  the  deer-hoof  rattle.  Members 
of  other  clans,  who  did  all  the  dancing,  held  the  images,  and,  pro- 
ceeding two  abreast,  raising  and  lowering  them  with  a  twisting 
motion  in  perfect  rythm  to  the  chanting,  marched  wailing  and 
sobbing  to  the  east.  Around  the  charnel  pit,  where  the  images 
were  to  be  cremated,  one  hundred  feet  to  the  east  of  the  image  house, 
this  strange  procession  passed,  then  back  and  around  the  house, 
and  once  more  around  the  pit  (fig.  3). 

During  this  march  two  old  women  threw  handfuls  of  dimes, 
quarters,  and  half-dollars  broadcast  among  the  onlookers  who 
made  a  scramble  for  the  money.  Some  of  the  coins  were  tied  in 
silk  handkerchiefs  and  cast  among  the  people,  and  one  girl  secured 
a  handkerchief  containing  a  five-dollar  gold  piece.  In  all  the  sum 
of  about  fifty  dollars  was  scattered  in  this  manner.  No  baskets 
were  given  or  thrown  away,  nor  fastened  to  the  necks  of  the  images. 
Except  as  vessels  to  contain  corn  and  other  grains,  baskets  did  not 
enter  into  the  ceremony,  and  none  were  burned. 

After  the  procession  had  passed  twice  round  the  charnel  pit  and 
house,  the  performers  stopped  in  front  of  the  image  house  and  one  of 
the  old  men  delivered  an  oration,  naming  each  of  the  dead  and  de- 
tailing their  virtues  and  activities  in  life.  The  images  were  then 
taken  into  the  house  and  not  disturbed  until  night. 

During  the  afternoon  men  and  women  slept  or  lay  around  the 
camp,  resting  for  the  ceremonies  which  were  to  close  the  fiesta. 


DAVIS— D I  ECU  EN  0   CEREMONY   OF    THE   DEATH   IMAGES        21 


KURUK-tiAyAHo^ 
fmadff  houso 

40h 


\ 


Wail  end  Wom^tt. 

o 
OO 


^0, 

o. 


oO 


.•/''^ 


CO 

Q  00          Ft  re 'tender/  • 
O/^oO 


•    ^  < g-  Ima^p  dancens 


<o 


••  6LTiger. 

k/         0  hacAuard. 


0/2,%^. 


O  O 


Jnaianj 


blage 


Pif"  cuhprff  Images 
uj9re  burnQa, 


\ 

Fig.  3. — Plan  of  the  Death  Image  Ceremony  of  1908. 


22      MUSEUM.  OF    THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN,   HEYE  FOUNDATION 

The  night  proved  to  be  mild  and  beautiful,  and  the  sky  was  filled 
with  brilliant  stars.  Around  the  scattered  camp-fires  were  groups 
of  Indians  eating  their  simple  meals,  or  smoking  and  gossiping. 
Under  foot  and  all  about  were  dogs  of  varying  sizes  and  kinds, 
but  always  thin  and  gaunt.  A  dog-fight  took  place  every  few 
minutes,  affording  much  amusement  to  the  boys  and  girls. 

The  most  picturesque  Indians  were  the  Yumas  from  Algondones, 
with  their  painted  faces,  long  hair,  and  brilliant  colored  scarfs. 
Tall,  straight,  sinewy,  graceful,  active,  they  formed  an  agreeable 
contrast  to  the  fat,  heavy-set  mountain  Indians.  Among  the 
latter  were  a  man  whose  weight  must  have  exceeded  three  hundred 
pounds,  and  a  girl  from  Capitan  Grande,  seventeen  years  of  age, 
who  probably  weighed  'two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  This  girl 
had  very  broad  shoulders,  muscular  arms  and  hands,  full  bosom, 
large  waist,  ponderous  hips  and  limbs,  with  large  feet;  but  her  visage 
was  good-natured  in  every  respect.  Most  of  the  women  came  only 
to  the  shoulders  of  this  young  giantess. 

At  eight  o'clock,  seated  in  a  chair  in  the  image  house,  a  huge 
Indian,  El  Num,  capitan  from  Manzanita  rancheria,  commenced  a 
low  chant,  beating  time  with  the  tasilsh,  or  deer-hoof  rattle.  This 
rattle  is  used  only  in  death  ceremonies;  for  other  occasions  gourd 
and  turtleshell  rattles  are  employed.  Men,  women,  and  children 
(some  babes  asleep  on  their  mother's  backs)  had  filled  the  house, 
and  the  women  were  bestowing  the  last  loving  attentions  on  the 
images  amid  much  wailing,  when  El  Num,  having  chanted  a  number 
of  stanzas,  arose  with  three  other  men  who  were  chanting  in  unison 
and  began  a  slow  step  toward  the  opening  and  then  round  the  great 
log  fire  burning  in  front.  The  women  soon  brought  out  the  images 
and  gave  them  into  the  hands  of  the  men  who  were  to  dance  with 
them  all  night.  As  before  mentioned,  there  were  fourteen  of  these, 
fully  dressed,  and  the  rhythmic  lifting  and  lowering  of  the  grotesque 
figures,  with  fluttering  garments,  in  the  red  glare  of  a  great  log  fire, 
presented  a  weird  and  barbaric  scene. 

During  this  time  the  women  filling  the  image  house  wailed  and 
mourned  incessantly,  and  one  old  woman  with  grizzled  hair  and 
with  dress  open  at  the  breast  disclosing  a  network  of  bloody  scars, 


DAVIS— DIEGUENO   CEREMONY   OF'  THE   DEATH   IMAGES        23 

showered  corn  over  each  dancer  and  image,  always  wailing  in  the 
peculiar  wavering  cry,  wild  and  mournful,  uttered  by  Indians  in 
sorrow.  Her  corn  supply  was  in  sacks,  and  from  these  she  re- 
plenished her  hat  basket  as  soon  as  it  was  empty,  the  corn  which 
she  had  cast,  of  course,  being  trampled  into  the  dust  and  lost. 

During  two  or  three  periods  of  the  dance  I  relieved  one  of  the 
men,  taking  charge  of  an  image  and  dancing  in  unison  with  the 
others.  This  afforded  me  an  excellent  opportunity  of  observing 
all  that  took  place. 

Each  canto  of  the  Chati}  or  Song  of  the  Images,  usually  carried 
the  dancers  around  the  fire  three  times,  and  then  the  three  old 
women,  keeping  rhythmical  step,  facing  the  men  and  going  back- 
ward, repeated  the  song  in  a  treble  for  a  like  period. 

After  four  hours  of  such  violent  exertions  as  to  cause  the  sweat 
to  drip  from  the  image  dancers,  a  rest  was  taken.  The  women  took 
charge  of  the  images  during  the  interim,  fondling  and  embracing 
them,  adjusting  their  garments  for  the  last  time,  and  wailing  and 
sobbing  in  a  paroxysm  of  grief. 

The  dance  was  resumed  and  continued  without  further  inter- 
mission until  the  morning  star,  Cuanyamasdhp,  rose  above  the  rim 
of  the  mountains  in  the  east.  Thereafter  it  was  closely  watched 
during  the  dance  for  an  hour  and  a  half,  until  the  surrounding 
mountains  were  dimly  visible  against  the  first  gray  light  of  ap- 
proaching dawn.  It  was  then  4:15  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  August 
30,  and  the  dance  had  continued,  with  one  brief  period  of  rest,  for 
eight  hours.  Blankets,  food,  and  clothing  had  been  packed  in 
bundles  and  nets,  and  removed  from  the  image  house  by  the  women, 
a  short  while  before,  and  now  the  time  had  arrived  for  the  final 
parting.  El  Lucero  had  attained  its  maximum  brilliancy  and 
shone  with  marvelous  luster  in  that  pure  atmosphere. 

With  El  Num  in  the  lead,  chanting  the  final  canto  of  the  Chati, 
the  last  procession  formed  and  marched  with  slow  and  stately  steps 
directly  toward  the  morning  star,  around  the  charnel  pit,  back 
around  the  image  house,  and  again  to  the  pit,  where  each  man  as  he 
passed  deposited  his  image  in  an  upright  position. 

*  Termed  Chd-yo-tai  by  Mi^s  Dubois. — Editor. 


24      MUSEUM   OF    THE  AMERICAN   INDIAN,   HEYE   FOUNDATION 

Up  to  this  time  the  wailing  had  been  incessant  during  six  days 
and  nights,  but  now  all  became  unnaturally  quiet.  The  wailing 
had  ceased;  there  was  no  talking;  even  the  dogs  had  become  quiet, 
and  only  the  slight  rustle  of  leaves  in  the  early  morning  breeze 
broke  the  intense  silence.  Suddenly,  the  image  house,  built  of  dry, 
inflammable  materials,  burst  into  flames  fifty  feet  high,  throwing 
sparks  and  wisps  of  burning  grass  a  hundred  feet  into  the  air.  As 
the  first  flames  burst  forth,  an  Indian  seized  a  burning  brand,  ran 
swiftly  to  the  pit,  and  set  fire  to  the  effigies.  The  dresses  curled 
up,  flames  ran  up  the  folds  and  plaits,  and  soon  all  the  images  were 
afire  (pi.  i,  b).  The  grasses  snapped,  the  cloth  on  the  faces 
scorched  and  blazed,  the  hats  and  hair  burned  ofi^,  but  the  staring 
eyes  and  grisly  teeth  still  stared  and  grinned.  In  ten  minutes  there 
was  nothing  left  but  a  mass  of  ashes  and  live  coals.  The  framework 
of  the  image  house  had  caved  in,  the  posts  burned,  and  by  daylight 
everything  was  consumed  which  in  any  way  had  been  directly  con- 
nected with  the  images.  The  savings  of  years  and  the  labor  of 
months  had  vanished  in  smoke  in  a  few  brief  moments.  The  souls 
of  the  dead  had  departed  on  the  last  long  trail  to  their  final  desti- 
nation, and  even  their  names  were  never  spoken  again. 

The  Death  Images  from  Campo  in  the  Museum  of  the  American 
Indian,  Heye  Foundation 

The  kuruk,  or  death  images,  made  and  cremated  by  the  Indians 
of  extreme  southern  California  amid  great  sorrow  and  ceremony, 
are  very  rare,  so  rare  in  fact,  that  the  three  images  the  writer  was  so 
fortunate  as  to  procure  for  the  Museum  of  the  American  Indian, 
Heye  Foundation,  are  the  only  ones  in  existence,  so  far  as  known. 
The  reason  for  this  is  not  far  to  seek.  Each  image  made  and  used 
in  the  Wukaruk  ceremony  represents  a  particular  person  who  has 
died,  and  this  image,  and  indeed  every  image  ever  made  for  this 
sacred  occasion,  and  everything  pertaining  to  it,  is  religiously 
burned,  so  that,  except  ashes,  not  a  vestige  remains.  Money  could 
not  buy  one  of  the  effigies,  and  from  the  time  they  are  made  until 
cremated  they  are  constantly  guarded  and  handled,  and  at  no  time 
could  they  be  stolen,  if  one  were  so  inclined,  unless  possibly  his  life 
be  forfeited. 


DAVIS— DIEGUENO   CEREMONY   OF    THE   DEATH   IMAGES        2$ 

All  these  images  are  made  and  burned  the  same  day,  and  usually- 
only  a  few  hours  after  completion.  At  Pala  the  images  were  cre- 
mated only  two  or  three  hours  after  being  completed,  and  at 
Weeapipe,  where  the  ceremony  was  more  primitive  and  elaborate, 
sixteen  hours  after  completion.  The  burning  of  the  images  in 
other  localities  may  vary  in  time,  but  none  are  kept  so  long  as 
twenty-four  hours  after  they  are  made.  Therefore,  with  the  excep- 
tion above  noted,  no  museum  or  private  collector  has  succeeded  in 
securing  a  specimen  of  these  images,  and  in  fact  very  few  white 
people  have  witnessed  the  entire  ceremony,  for  the  reason  that  the 
Indians  jealously  guard  all  knowledge  of  the  time  when  it  is  to 
occur. 

In  1904  I  was  fortunate  in  securing  permission  to  photograph 
an  Image  Ceremony  at  Pala  among  the  Cupano  (Hot  Springs) 
Indians,  and  so  far  as  I  know  these  are  the  only  photographs  de- 
picting this  rare  custom. 

The  ceremony  has  become  extinct  among  many  of  the  tribes, 
and  in  some  places  where  it  still  survives  it  is  performed  in  a  more  or 
less  perfunctory  manner,  due  mainly  to  the  death  of  so  many  of  the 
old  men  who  preserved  and  revered  the  ancient  customs;  to  educa- 
tion; to  a  higher  state  of  white  civilization,  and  to  the  indifference, 
even  contempt,  with  which  the  old  traditions  are  regarded  by  many 
of  the  younger  generation  of  Indians.  No  doubt  this  traditionary 
custom  will  follow  the  course  of  many  others  and  become  extinct 
within  a  few  years. 

The  making  of  the  images  has  almost  become  a  lost  art,  since 
most  of  the  creators,  as  they  are  called,  especially  in  the  Campo 
country,  have  joined  their  ancestors,  and  so  I  felt  especially  favored 
when  I  found  one  old  image-maker  among  the  primitive  Campo 
Indians  who  was  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  task,  and,  what  was 
of  more  importance,  willing  and  free  to  execute  my  request. 

The  Indian  who  undertook  this  commission,  commonly  known 
as  Jim  McCarty  (whose  native  name  is^Kwalsh,  or  Hide),  is  a  man 
about  eighty  years  of  age,  of  slender  build,  with  sparse  white  beard 
and  mustache,  deep-set  eyes,  rather  flat  nose  with  the  septum  pierced 
for  a  nose-ring,  iron-gray  hair  growing  low  on  the  forehead,  active 


26      MUSEUM   OF   THE  AMERICAN   INDIAN.    HEYE   FOUNDATION 

and  alert  (pi.  ii).  He  is  known  as  the  "creator,"  and  the  only 
survivor  among  these  Indians  equipped  with  the  knowledge  to 
execute  the  order. 

The  first  condition  to  be  met  was  to  procure  a  quantity  of  the 
tall  rush  grass  Juncus  textilis,  known  among  the  Indians  as  meskwd, 
for  the  foundation  of  the  images.     This  is  a  tough,  coarse  grass 


*-/■/•••/■/■•>'/♦*•>'''" 


Fig.  4. — Shells  strung  on  cord  of  mescal  fiber  to  form  the  teeth  of  the  death  image. 

which  grows  in  tussocks  forty  miles  distant  in  Jacumba  caiion,  a 
wild,  rocky  gorge  with  a  clear  mountain  stream  flowing  down  to  the 
desert.  The  great  flood  two  years  ago  uprooted  nearly  all  the 
meskwd,  but  we  found  a  few  hummocks  from  which  we  gathered  a 
bundle  sufficient  for  the  matting  for  the  three  images  I  desired. 
For  the  teeth,  sukul,  it  was  necessary  to  have  a  certain  kind  of  small 
shells  (fig.  4)  which  come  from  the  Gulf  of  California  and  for  which 


Fig.  5. — Pearl  buttons  used  for  the  eyes. 

these  Indians  trade  with  the  Cocopah.  I  was  fortunate  enough  to 
find  a  woman  who  had  a  handful  of  these  shells,  and  with  much 
reluctance  she  parted  with  enough  for  the  three  images.  Eight 
shells  furnished  teeth  for  one  image,  four  for  upper  and  four  for 
lower  incisors.  The  pointed  top  of  the  shell  is  ground  flat  until  a 
hole  appears,  and  through  this  a  fiber  is  fastened  and  four  of  these 
are  tied  to  a  heavy,  two-strand  twine,  which,  in  these  images,  con- 


CONTR     MUS.  AMER.   INDIAN,   HEYE  FOUND'N 


VOL.  V,   NO.  2,   PL.  II 


THE    "CREATOR"    AND   HIS   IMAGES.      CAMPO,    1918 


DAVIS— DIEGUENO   CEREMONY   OF    THE   DEATH   IMAGES        2^ 

sists  of  fiber  from  the  bark  of  the  red  milkweed  or  Indian  hemp, 
twisted  on  the  thigh.  In  order  to  comply  strictly  with  the  ancient 
ritual,  the  eyes  should  be  made  of  white  abalone  shell,  ground  round, 
with  a  hole  pierced  in  the  center  for  the  pupil,  but  now  large,  white, 
pearl  buttons  are  substituted  (fig.  5).  These,  with  dress  material, 
neck-scarfs,  beads,  etc.,  I  furnished  to  Jim  at  his  request. 

A  rug  is  made  of  the  coarse  rush,  like  matting,  by  weaving 
through  and  through,  usually  with  sinew,  but  in  this  case  the  milk- 


FiG.  6. — A  section  of  meskwah  matting,  four  feet  square,  stitched  with  sinew. 


weed  fiber  was  substituted  (fig.  6).^  A  strip  about  twelve  or  four- 
teen inches  wide  is  sliced  off  the  mat  and  this  in  turn  is  cut  as  on 
the  dotted  lines  in  the  illustration  (fig.  7).  The  top  part  is  rolled 
solidly  like  a  thick  cylinder  and  forms  the  head,  while  the  two  lov^er 
parts  are  rolled  up  and  fastened  with  fiber  to  form  the  legs.  The 
shoulders  and  hips  are  made  from  double  pieces  of  yucca,  whittled 
flat,  and  the  ends  tied  together  with  fiber.     This  is  the  foundation 

1  Miss  Dubois  says:  "To  make  the  images,  first  of  all  a  woven  matting  was 
manufactured  by  taking  a  certain  kind  of  tall  slim  rush  for  the  warp  and  twine  of 
mescal  or  yucca  or  milkweed  fiber  for  the  woof. 


28      MUSEUM   OF   THE  AMERICAN   INDIAN.   HEYE   FOUNDATION 


of  the  body  (fig.  8).     With  charming  indifference,  arms,  hands, 
and  feet  are  dispensed  with.     A  twig  of  bent  willow  forms  the  nose; 


Fig.  7. — The  first  stage  of 
-image  making. 


Fig.  8. — The  second  stage.  The 
bent  willow  stick  forms  the 
nose,  and  the  shell  teeth  are 
in  place. 


the  two  strings  of  teeth  are  tied  on  and  a  white  cloth  fastened 
tightly  around  the  head.  The  cloth  is  cut  in  such  manner  that  the 
teeth  project  prominently;  the  eye-sockets  are  punched  with  sharp 


Fig.  9. — Manner  in  which  human  hair  is  plaited  to  be  worn  by  the  images.     The  long 
strands  form  the  back  hair  of  female  images,  the  short  ones  the  bangs. 

sticks;  the  hair,  which  in  this  case  is  from  horses'  manes  (fig.  9), 
is  tied  on;  the  faces  are  painted,  and  the  head  part  is  complete 


CONTR.   MUS.  AMER.   INDIAN,   HEYE  FOUND'N 


VOL.   V,   NO.   2,   PL.   Ill 


IMAGE   OF  CINON   MATAWEER.      HEIGHT  49   INCHES 


DAVIS— DIEGUENO   CEREMONY   OF   THE   DEATH   IMAGES       29. 


(fig.  10-12).  A  hat  basket  is  fastened  on  top,  and  bunches  of 
plumes  adorn  the  shoulders — hawk  for  the  man,  owl  for  the  woman 
— to  waft  their,  souls  to  their  final  destination  (fig.  13).  The  faces 
of  the  male  images  are  painted  black 
(kmnyilsh),  and  of  the  female  red  {kwa- 
what).  The  foundation  for  these  paints 
is  the  dark,  sticky  juice  that  exudes  be- 
tween the  bulb  and  leaves  of  the  mescal 
plant  when  it  is  roasted.  This  is  saved 
in  small  ollas  and  painted  on  the  cloth 
faces  of  the  images,  and  the  powdered 
black  and  red  colors  are  sprinkled  on 
and  held  fast  by  the  sticky  fluid.  The 
red  color  is  from  red  rock  near  The 
Needles,  and  the  black  is  probably  plum- 
bago, also  from  the  desert.  The  red 
stripes  which  adorn  the  chins  of  female 
images  are  called  ukwich.  These  mouth 
stripes  ornament  the  women  of  Campo 
and  of  the  desert  tribes  generally. 

The  figures  are  supposed  to  be  dressed  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  originals  at  the  time  of  death  (fig.  14) .  If  the  girl  had  a  necklace, 
the  image  must  have  one;  if  the  man  had  a  watch,  so  must  his  image. 
When  properly  made,  the  figure  is  adorned  with  human  hair  cut 
from  the  women  as  a  sign  of  mourning;  this  hair  is  put  aside  and 
later  woven  into  the  front  and  back  hair  for  the  images.  For  a 
while  the  matter  of  procuring  the  hair  proved  quite  a  serious  one, 
as  only  the  relatives  of  the  dead  provide  the  hair.  I  had  given  the 
images  personality  by  naming  them  for  Indians  I  had  known,  one 
of  whom,  Cinon  Mataweer,  the  last  hereditary  chief  of  the 
Tukamuk,  or  Mesa  Grande  Indians,  was  looked  upon  as  my  brother, 
hence  the  responsibility  of  procuring  the  hair  rested  with  me.  The 
suggestion  that  perhaps  an  Indian  maiden  or  matron  might  be 
induced  to  part  with  some  of  her  locks  for  a  pecuniary  consideration 
was  regarded  with  horror;  in  fact  the  idea  was  unthinkable,  as  hair 
furnished  for  the  image  of  a  deceased  person,  a  total  stranger, 


Fig.  10. — Third  stage.  The 
nose,  chin,  lips,  and  eyebrows 
are  painted  red,  and  the 
cheeks  black. 


30      MUSEUM   OF    THE   AMERICAN   INDIAN,   HEYE   FOUNDATION 


would  cause  almost  certain  death.  We  finally  compromised  on 
hair  from  a  horse's  mane  as  coming  nearest  the  desired  article. 
This  of  course  was  irregular,  but  then  the  whole  proceeding  was 
necessarily  more  or  less  so.  It  may  be  assumed  that  old  Jim  squared 
his   lack  of  orthodoxy  with   the  ancient  deities  in  some  manner 


Fig.  12. — -Mask  of  female 
image  dotted  and  striped 
with  red  paint. 


Fig.  II. —  The  fourth  stage, 
showing  Adjustment  of  the 
front  and  back  hair,  with  the 
hair  cord  around  the  face  and 
beneath  the  chin,  fastening 
the  white  cloth  over  the  face. 
This  male  image  is  painted 
red  on  nose,  chin,  and  lips, 
and  black  on  cheeks. 


for  this  radical  departure  from  the  ordained  ritual;  at  any  rate, 
the  horse-hair  answered  the  purpose,  and  harm  was  done  to  no 
one. 

For  a  month  nothing  was  heard  from  the  creator,  then  on  May 
2  I  received  an  urgent  message  to  come  immediately  to  Campo, 
seventy  miles  distant,  as  the  images  were  completed,  Jim  was 
badly  frightened,  and  the  ceremony  must  occur  two  days  later. 
I  reached  Campo  on  the  day  of  the  ceremony  at  the  fiesta  grounds, 
and  there  found  Jim,  his  wife  Rosa,  and  sixty  or  seventy  Indians 
from  the  nearby  rancherias  to  attend  the  death  ceremonies.  I  was 
soq;iewhat  disconcerted  by  the  crowd,  as  I  had  supposed  the  rites 


CONTR.  MUS.  AMER,  INDIAN,  HEYE  FOUND' N 


VOL.  V,   NO.   2,  PL.  IV 


IMAGE  OF  CELESTINA,  WIFE  OF  CINON   MATAWEER.      HEIGHT  45  INCHES 


DAVIS— DIEGUENO   CEREMONY   OF    THE   DEATH   IMAGES 


31 


would  be  very  simple.  On  the  contrary,  they  were  to  be  public 
and  strictly  in  accordance  with  tradition.  Not  seeing  the  images, 
I  asked  Jim  where  they  were,  and  he  said  they  were  in  his  barn  or 
outbuilding,  about  a  mile  from  the  fiesta  grounds.  Shortly  before 
my  arrival  the  entire  camp  had  had  a  period  of  wailing  and  mourn- 
ing. Jim  had  thrown  or  scattered  handfuls  of 
nickels  and  dimes  among  the  assemblage,  and 
now  that  I  had  arrived  the  principal  ceremony 
was  to  be  performed  that  night. 

Arrived  at  Jim's  outhouse,  a  structure  of 
poles  and  brush,  I  readily  found  the  three  im- 
ages, and  an  examination  showed  them  to  be 
just  what  I  desired — the  chief  Cinon  with  his 
bow  and  arrows,  his  wife  Celestina  with  her 
painted  face  and  bead  necklace,  and  little  Jose 
also  with  a  necklace  (pi.  iii-v).  The  cause  of 
Jim's  fear  was  this:  As  soon  as  an  image  is  com- 
pleted, according  to  his  belief,  the  spirit  or  soul 
enters  and  occupies  it,  when  the  effigy  becomes 
a  living  personality  and  the  ceremonies  must  con- 
tinue uninterruptedly  until  it  is  cremated  a  few 
hours  later.  In  this  case  the  images  had  been 
finished  and  laid  away  for  three  days  and  three 
nights,  an  unprecedented  occurrence  which  was 
not  provided  for  in  the  ritual,  and  so  not  guard- 
ed against.  In  consequence  of  this,  neither  Jim 
nor  his  wife  Rosa  dared  go  out  at  night  for  fear 
of  meeting  the  ghosts  of  the  images.  Jim  did 
have  the  temerity  to  venture  out  a  little  one  night,  and  said  he  saw 
the  old  chief's  ghost  stalking  about,  so  he  hastened  in  and  never 
went  out  again  at  night  until  the  ceremonies  commenced.  Not 
only  that,  but  he  would  not  touch  the  images  of  his  own  creation 
after  they  were  completed.  Should  I  have  been  delayed,  the  cere- 
monies would  have  proceeded  without  me  and  the  images  conse- 
quently burned. 

Returning  to  the  fiesta  grounds,  which  consisted  of  a  hollow 
square  enclosed  by  ramadas,  or  brush  shelters,  I  was  informed  that, 


Fig.  13. — Hawk  and 
eagle  plumes  mount- 
ed for  attachment 
to  shoulders. 


32      MUSEUM   OF    THE   AMERICAN   INDIAN,   HEYE  FOUNDATION 


as  the  principal  mourner,  I  must  furnish  food  and  provisions  for 
the  assemblage  during  the  ceremony,  and  also  hire  the  singers, 
dancers,  fire-tender,  and  others,  consequently  I  at  once  sent  a 
messenger  post-haste  to  the  nearest  store  to  purchase  all  the  bread, 
meat,  potatoes,  coffee,  sugar,  etc.,  possible.     In  an  hour's  time  the 

food  was  fetched  and  pots  and  ket- 
tles were  boiling  over  the  camp- 
fires,  so  that  it  was  not  long  be- 
fore men,  women,  and  children  were 
fed  and  happy.  The  Indians  had 
come  sixty  or  seventy  strong, 
bringing  the  members  of  their  fam- 
ilies, old  and  young,  as  well  as 
their  dogs,  blankets,  and  simple 
camp  equipment,  to  stay  as  long 
as  the  food  and  the  fiesta  lasted. 

In  order  to  have  the  ceremony 
properly  conducted,  it  was  neces- 
sary for  Jim  to  be  the  leader,  to 
sing  the  proper  songs  and  to  make 
the  steps  to  the  music  of  the  tasilsh, 
or  deer-hoof  rattle,  which  I  had 
provided.  Tobacco  was  also  given 
the  dancers.  Two  assistants  were 
furnished  Jim  as  singers,  two  men 
to  dance  with  the  images  (the  third 
being  myself),  a  man  to  supply 
wood  and  to  tend  the  fire,  and  two  women  to  dance  backward  in 
front  of  the  singers.  These  arrangements  having  been  made,  we 
gathered  in  a  circle  about  the  fire  in  the  center  of  the  hollow  square, 
and  with  Jim  chanting,  we  began  the  slow,  rather  stately  step 
around  the  fire.  The  images  were  raised,  lowered,  twisted,  and 
with  fluttering  garments  made  to  look  as  lifelike  as  possible.  When 
raised  the  images  faced  forward,  and  when  lowered  they  faced 
backward,  all  in  rhythm  with  the  chanting,  while  the  whole  per- 
formance was  illuminated  by  the  large  central  fire. 

The  singers  chanted  and  circled  the  fire  three  times  to  each 


Fig.  14. — The  completed  image. 


CONTR.    MUS.   AMER.   INDIAN,   HEYE  FOUNO'N 


VOL.    V,    NO.    2,    PL.    V 


IMAGE   OF  JOSECITO,  SON   OF  CINON.      HEIGHT  40  INCHES 


DAVIS— DIEGUENO   CEREMONY   OF    THE   DEATH   IMAGES        33 

canto.  As  the  song  ceased,  the  dancers  immediately  began  to  grunt 
rhythmically  to  the  beating  of  the  rattle ;  this  was  followed  by  a 
short  ceremonial  rest,  succeeded  in  turn  by  the  next  canto.  The 
chanting  and  dancing  continued  throughout  the  night  for  eight 
hours,  with  a  brief  intermission  at  midnight  for  refreshment. 

The  first  cantos  treated  of  the  death  warning  of  the  tiu,  or  hoot 
owl,  and  the  succeeding  cantos  dealt  with  the  preparations  for  the 
death  dance,  calling  the  junta  or  assemblage,  gathering  the  mate- 
rials, making  the  images,  etc.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  dance  the 
images  were  wrapped  in  a  tarpaulin,  placed  on  top  of  a  ramada, 
and  left  in  perfect  security. 

During  the  next  day  there  were  no  ceremonies,  but  the  chanting 
began  again  at  night  and  continued  uninterruptedly  until  midnight. 
Probably  the  songs  described  the  closing  ceremonies  of  the  images, 
the  reincarnation  of  the  souls,  the  animated  figures,  the  rise  of  the 
morning  star,  the  last  parade,  the  cremation  and  final  release  of  the 
souls,  which,  on  the  hawk-  and  owl-plume  pinions  fastened  in  their 
shoulders,  were  wafted  to  their  final  hunting  grounds  far  to  the 
south,  where  it  is  always  warm,  with  plenty  of  game  and  abundance 
of  food  of  all  kinds. 

At  the  close  of  these  ceremonies,  the  images,  without  further 
ado,  were  handed  to  me  to  do  with  as  I  liked,  to  burn  or  retain,  and 
thus  these  unique  figures  came  into  possession  of  the  Museum  of 
the  American  Indian,  Heye  Foundation. 


